This galette (a rustic, free-form tart) begins with a market bounty of ripe stone fruit: fragrant doughnut peaches, golden nectarines, tender apricots and blushing rainers. A rhapsody of crimson and gold, the sliced fruits are tossed with ginger, vanilla and several spoonfuls of glistening white sugar. Encased in a blanket of butter-speckled pastry, stone fruit and juices are then baked until melting and bubbly. Served beside a scoop of cool vanilla ice cream, this warm Stone Fruit Galette with Ginger and Vanilla is little slice of heaven.

Over this past holiday weekend, Jorge and I hosted a Tart Party for a few fellow San Diego Food Bloggers. I’ve always been a big fan of tarts, so I thought it would be fun to dedicate an entire party to them 🙂 Jorge made a super tasty Strawberry Rhubarb Tart, and I threw together a Zucchini Tart and French Onion Tart. Marie and Dan, from Meandering Eats, brought an amaaaazing Triple Cheese Tart with Chocolate and Orange. And Vintage Sugarcube’s Jenny baked a beatiful Corn and Basil Tart. This tart was just bursting with corn flavor. Stacy with Center Stage Wellness was also there sans tart. Instead, she brought her new adorable baby, Iver :). Check out my Instagram feed for photos from the party.

I didn’t actually serve this Stone Fruit Tart at the gathering; however, I was still in a tart-making mood after the party, so I baked two new tarts for Kitchen Konfidence. Yes, that means there’s another coming soon 🙂 Continue reading for the recipe.

Over the past few months, I’ve downloaded a number of beautiful cooking and recipe related iPad apps including Mario Batali Cooks, Gourmet Live, Food Network In the Kitchen, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, MasterChef Academy and two Photo Cookbooks. I finally decided this week to start putting these apps to good use beginning with this Tart Cherry and Pine Nut Biscotti, an adaptation of a recipe found in The Photo Cookbook – Baking. Dried tart cherries and toasted pine nuts are mixed into a spiced dough, then baked twice till golden brown and crunchy. I was very pleased with the end result because the biscotti were a bit softer than the usual tooth breaking variety, yet still had a satisfying crunch. Continue reading for the recipe.

Holiday cookie season has officially arrived. I am currently in a dessert transition period where my ice cream making endeavors are dwindling and my fits of cookie baking are on the rise. From that first bite of raw cookie dough to the last daring bite of hot, freshly baked cookie, I just love the entire cookie making process. I have decided to kick off this year with one of my favorites. Moist and chewy, these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are studded with flavorful bits of dried, tart cherry and toasted pecan. Continue reading for the recipe and please share some of your Holiday favorites.

Dressed in a warm cherry pancetta vinaigrette, this spinach salad is packed with amazing flavor and texture. Almond-crusted goat cheese and crisp fennel make the salad a substantial side to any main course (especially a flakey white fish). The cherry flavor of the vinaigrette is not overwhelming. The cherry vinegar adds a wonderful depth of flavor that is sure to satisfy your palate. Continue for the recipe.

After last week’s Cherry Vinegar recipe, I still had several handfuls of ripe cherries sitting in my refrigerator. We’ve been having ice cream nightly this time of the year at my house, so I thought this Cherry Coulis would be the perfect accompaniment. A Coulis (pronounced “coolie”) is simply a thick sauce made from puréed and strained fruit (or vegetables). With only four ingredients, this coulis recipe is simple, quick and easily adaptable. If you don’t have cherries right now, you could try strawberries, raspberries or blueberries.

If you’ve never tried making your own infusion before, then you’ll have to give this recipe a go. The process of infusing can be applied to many cooking liquids including oil, vinegar, spirits and simple syrups. With only two ingredients, this fruit-infused vinegar is delicious, complex and the perfect compliment to a fresh summer salad.